1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mechanical device for returning a patient's dislocated hip to its normal position. More specifically, it refers to a system and method of employing a disposable leg sleeve together with a winch and pulley system to place a patient in an optimum position for hip reduction.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is customary for a physician and physician's assistant with the assistance of a nurse to physically and actively manipulate a patient's dislocated hip to return it to its normal position in the patient's body. Such manipulation is painful to the patient, requires anesthesia and takes substantial time and physical effort on the part of both the physician and physician's assistant. It is known to employ passive exercise to a hip-joint following surgery as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,602,618. This passive exercise involves a power drive imparting compound swivel movement to a leg cradle and patient's leg about an orthogonal axis centered at the socket of the hip-joint. Although active manipulation usually results in returning a dislocated hip to a normal position in the socket of the hip-joint such a method requires time and extended effort on the part of a skilled physician and physician's assistant. The passive exercise set forth in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,602,618 is not designed to reduce the patient's hip, but merely exercise the hip. A need exists for a system of passively reducing a dislocated hip.